As insecurity challenges heighten, the northern elders under the auspices of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Wednesday demanded that President Bola Tinubu declare a national security emergency.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Prof Abubakar Jiddere, the NEF said the security challenge in the country is already at its precipice, and urgent and drastic steps need to be taken to salvage the country from falling into anarchy.
The NEF also said Nigerians are deeply in fear and when citizens live in fear, communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness; millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable.
The statement reads in part, “The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) expresses its deepest outrage and concern over the relentless collapse of security across the Federal Republic of Nigeria. No nation can claim progress when its citizens live in fear, its communities are under siege, and criminal elements operate with increasing boldness while millions of law-abiding citizens remain vulnerable.
“Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
“Today, Nigerians are compelled to ask a painful but legitimate question: if the protection of lives and property is the foremost duty of government, why are citizens increasingly left to fend for themselves against kidnappers, terrorists, bandits, violent extremists, and organized criminal gangs?
“Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has confronted numerous security threats, including the Civil War, Maitatsine uprisings, armed militancy in the Niger Delta, sectarian violence, separatist agitations, cattle rustling, armed robbery, and the Boko Haram insurgency. Yet never in recent history has the country witnessed the simultaneous spread of multiple forms of insecurity across virtually every region as is being experienced today.
“From the forests of Zamfara and Katsina to the highways of Kaduna and Niger; from communities in Plateau and Benue to parts of Kogi, Kwara, Borno, Oyo, Edo, Enugu, Imo and beyond, violence has become a recurring feature of daily life. Communities are attacked, citizens are abducted, farmers are displaced from their lands, travellers are ambushed on major highways, and businesses are forced to operate under conditions of uncertainty and fear.
“Independent security reports over the years have consistently documented thousands of deaths, abductions, and displacements arising from violent criminal activities. While governments may differ in their approaches and achievements, the reality confronting Nigerians today is that insecurity remains one of the gravest threats to national stability, economic growth, and social cohesion.
“The Forum is particularly disturbed by the growing normalization of mass abductions and kidnapping-for-ransom. What began as isolated criminal incidents has evolved into a sophisticated criminal economy that exploits weak enforcement, porous borders, illegal arms proliferation, and inadequate intelligence coordination.
“In many affected communities, criminal groups appear capable of operating for extended periods with little resistance, undermining public confidence in the capacity of the state to guarantee security.
“The consequences are devastating: farmers are abandoning farmlands; Food production is declining. Rural economies are collapsing; investors are losing confidence; children are deprived of education.
Families are being pushed into poverty by ransom payments and displacement. Entire communities now live under the constant threat of attack. No serious nation can accept such a situation as normal.
“The Northern Elders Forum notes with concern that despite repeated assurances from public officials, many affected communities continue to report inadequate security presence, delayed intervention during attacks, and limited prosecution of those responsible for grave crimes. These concerns deserve urgent attention from relevant authorities.
“The Forum further calls for comprehensive investigations into illegal mining activities and other forms of resource exploitation that have been linked by various studies and official reports to insecurity in parts of the country. Criminal networks thrive where governance is weak and oversight is absent. Every individual or organization operating within Nigeria must be subject to Nigerian laws and accountable to Nigerian institutions.
“The Northern Elders Forum therefore calls on the Federal Government to immediately declare a National Security Emergency and implement extraordinary measures to reverse the current trajectory.”
Other demands include: Immediate restructuring and strengthening of intelligence coordination among all security agencies; Aggressive disruption of kidnapping and banditry networks through sustained operations and modern surveillance capabilities.
“Full investigation and prosecution of sponsors, collaborators, financiers, and beneficiaries of violent criminal groups, regardless of status, ethnicity, religion, or political affiliation.
“Comprehensive auditing of illegal mining operations and criminal economic activities linked to insecurity.
“Enhanced protection of farming communities, schools, transportation corridors, and vulnerable rural populations.
Greater transparency and accountability regarding security expenditures and operational outcomes.
“The patience of citizens is not unlimited. Governments derive legitimacy from their ability to protect lives, uphold the rule of law, and maintain public order. Where insecurity persists unchecked, public trust inevitably erodes.
“This is not a partisan issue. This is not a regional issue. This is not an ethnic issue. This is a national emergency.
“Nigeria cannot prosper while its citizens live under fear. The blood of innocent Nigerians should trouble the conscience of every public office holder entrusted with the responsibility of governance. History will not judge leaders by the promises they made. It will judge them by the lives they protected, the communities they secured, and the nation they preserved.
“The time for assurances has passed. The time for measurable action is now,” the statement added.
